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v Patented lan. 3, |899. vM. L.- Nlc-HoLs.

BICYCLE.

(Application med Apr. 22, 1897 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 616,957. Patented 1an. 3, |899.

M. L. NICHOLS.V

BICYCLE.

(Application led Apr. 22,l 1897.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION L. NICHOLS, OF VESTFIELD, NEV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE EVOLU- TION CYCLE COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lNo. 616,957, dated January 3, 1899.

Application led April 22, 1897. Serial No. 633,389. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MARION L. NIonoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a novel construction of handle-bar andthe means for connecting the same with the steering-fork through the handle-bar head, to a novel means for adjusting the handles and holding them in the various adjusted positions, and to the means for operating the' brake, and to a novel means for locking the operating` mechanism when the wheel is not in use and the brake applied, and to the means for operating the bell through one of the handles of the handle-bar, all as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section through the central portion of the handle-bar head and stem, showing the tapering hollow plug and nut with the pin to engage with said plug and nut and act to draw the plug up into the stem and expand the stem to engage the tube of the steering-fork and hold said fork firmly connected to the handle-bar head. Fig. 2 is an end view of the movable sleeve carrying the pin to engage the head and lock the handles engaged therewith. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a section of the head. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the handlebars, showing the means for applying the brake and for locking the same when the machine is not in use. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same, showing the same when unlocked. Fig. G is a similar view showing the same locked, also a key locking mechanism; Fig. 7, an end view with the handle-bar in section, also showing the same locked. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the forward end of the rod to which the chains or cords are attached, showing the lockinglugs engaging the same.

The stem A of the handle-bar head is provided with the socket A' or T-piece, with the handle-bar extending through the same,

one edge of the head of the Tpiece fitting within a socket in an annular ring or collar B, secured to the handle-bar by a bolt B'. The opposite edge of the head is provided with a series of notches B2, arranged in pairs, and engages a corresponding annular ring or collar B3, which carries a pin B4, having flattened faces to engage any of the series of notches in the edge of the head or T-piece.

A spring C is mounted in the handle and engages the bar and holds it in engagement with the notches, and the collar B3 serves as a handpiece by which to withdraw the pin or bar from engagement with the notches and permit the turning of the handle-bar within the head or T-piece to elevate or depress the bars. A pin B5 in the handle-bar engages the spring and holds it under tension.

The stem below the head is provided with an external screw-thread D, adapted to be engaged by a nut D. .This nut is provided with an internal circumferential groove E, adapted to engage the ends of a pin E', extending through and fixed to a tapering plug -vertically movable within the stem A and adapted to move in slots a, shown in dotted lines in the stem. The lower end of the tubular stem is split at two or more points to permit it to be expanded by the plug in the stem G of the steering-fork and hold the parts firmly connected together. The pins B', B5, and E also act as guides for directing the cords or chains down from the handle either to the brake or bell and prevent binding or entanglement of said cords or chains on corners or edges. The brake, to which one of the cords extending downward through the hollow stem of the handle-bar is to be connected, may be similar to that shown and described in Letters Patent No. 586,142, granted to me July 13, 1897, and the bell referred to as being operated by the other cord or chain may be of any desired construction. Since no claim is made in this application to either the bell or brake per se, it has not been considered necessary to illustrate them. Each of the cords or chains extends back and is connected to slidable bars II, adapted to move in slots h, formed opposite each other in the handle-bar, the slots and bars being so formed that, while end movement is permitted, the

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bars are prevented from twisting or turning. Thumb-pieces or heads h are formed on each end of the bars to permit the bar to be grasped by the hand of the rider, either to draw a brake into action or ring a bell.

To form a lock for the'machine through the brake which shall be out of sight, a rod I is mounted in the handle in suitable guideways, carrying on one end a forked or bifurcated locking-arm I', with reverse locking-lugs i, and the opposite end of the rod is made in square or nut form and fits a recess Z in a lug Z2, formed in a head or button I2 in the end of the handle. The bottom of this recess is made to correspond to the end of the rod, so that when the button orhead is pushed in by the thumb and the sldable bar drawn back the button can be turned, thus turning the lugs i into position to engage the rod I. A coilspring i3, surrounding the end of the rod and lug and engaging the rear guide, acts to throw the head or button back into its normal position when released by the thumb of the rider after the brake has been locked, releasing the button from the rod, so that unless one is familiar with the locking arrangement the brake cannot be released and the machine run. If, however, it is desirable to leave the machine for a longer time and a key is desirable, a locking mechanism is employed to lock the button, as shown in Fig. G, in which a swinging bolt il? is mounted on the inner face of the button I2, and a keyhole is made in the button, through which to insert a key by which to turn the swinging bolt into engagement with the internal lining of the handle as shown at 5, which prevents the button or head from being pushed in to engage the end of rod.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a handle-bar head provided with external screw-threads and with a hollow stem, of a tapering hollow plug mounted in the said stem, a nut provided with an annular slot and screw-threads on the handle-bar head, and a pin engaging said hollowr plug and also engaging said slot in said nut, whereby the rotation of said nut causes the expansion of the stem of said head in the stem of the steering-fork, substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle, the combination with the adjustable handle-bars, of the handle-bar head having a hollow stem, a hollow tapering plug connecting the stem of the steering-fork of the bicycle with the said head, a sliding bar mounted in slots in the handle-bar, extending through the same and having the bell and brake operating cords or chains connected thereto, thesaid operating cords or chains being located inside of said handle-bars and stem, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the handle-bars and brake chain or cord of a bicycle, of sliding bars attached to said brake chain or cord and mounted in slots in said handle-bars, enlargements at each end of said sliding bars, said enlargements being outside of said handle-bars and adapted to act as knobs whereby the said sliding bars may be shifted, and means for locking said sliding bars, substantially as described.

et. The combination with the handle-bars and brake chain or cord of a bicycle, of sliding bars connected to said chain or cord and mounted in slots in said handle-bars, enlargements on said sliding bars exterior to said handle-bars whereby the said bars may be shifted in said slots, a sliding rod having bifurcated locking-jaws adapted to engage and lock said sliding bar, a button secured to one end of said sliding rod and located at the end of the handle-bar and a spring pressing said button normally outward, substantially as described.

5. In a device for locking the brake of a bi cycle, the combination with the rod I adapted to slide in guides inside of said handle-bar and near the end thereof, reverse lockinglugs z' formed at the inner end of said rod, a button mounted on the outer end of said rod and adapted to close the end of the handle, a spring adapted to normally press the said button outward and means for locking said button, substantially as described.

6. In a bicycle, the combination of a-hollow handle-bar stem provided with a cross-head, a hollow handle-bar adjustable in said crosshead and provided with an aperture, the parts being so arranged that at all times an opening will be provided for the passage of a bellcord or brake-chain into said stem, substantially as described'.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARION L. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

ALEX MAHON, O. M. BALL.

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